Welcome!

TO RESEARCH, PRESERVE AND CELEBRATETHE HISTORY OF TALKING BOARDS

The mission of the Talking Board Historical Society is to research, preserve, and celebrate the history of talking boards, the men and women behind them, and the people who use them.

Talking boards are historically significant, having existed in one form or another since shortly after 1848, the birth of Modern Spiritualism. Most Americans are aware of the most famous talking board, Ouija, first introduced in 1890 by the Kennard Novelty Company and sold today by Hasbro, Inc.

What they don’t know is that since the beginning, the Ouija board faced fierce competition from other manufacturers who produced hundreds of different yet colorful talking board variations. These were sold, enjoyed, and eventually discarded, only to be remade and rediscovered by new generations. Therefore, these boards represent an enduring pop culture phenomenon and an important lost art form.

The Talking Board Historical Society began in 2008 as a loose affiliation of talking board collectors and enthusiasts, brought together by talking board historian Robert Murch. In 2014, we officially incorporated and became a registered non-profit and named Murch as Chairman of our Board of Directors.

The TBHS seeks to promote the study of talking board history, publish important findings, and preserve and officially designate locations with historic talking board connections. Fundraising is an important part of these efforts, and the TBHS maintains an endowment fund for this purpose. Through these projects and others, the TBHS unites people of similar interests and promotes a fuller understanding of Talking Boards, their historical significance, and place in popular culture.

Facebook

Hello there talking board fans and friends!
I was sent this unique short film today and was pleasantly surprised to see the appearance of the Diabolos talking board! For those of you unfamiliar with this brand of board, it is unique in the fact that they come from Indonesia in the island of Java. Which is a place not usually known for talking boards. The maker of this beauty is Aldy Ananda, a big TBHS supporter and friend. When I reached out to him for comment he had this to say
" The movie is made by high school seniors 1 Gresik city - East Java.
The story is about some highschoolers that gather to finish their school work in one of the team house members (Diva). When the task is done, waiting the rain stop, they prefer to watch horror vlog on YouTube rather than Korean drama. The horror video made Diva invite all her friends to play javanese ouija board that she found in a pile of leaves. That's where the story begins ☠️"
The video is in Javanese without subtitles but I still enjoyed seeing it and letting the mood set itself. If you want to learn more about Aldy and Diabolos talking boards check out his instagram @diabolos.talkingboard tell him the TBHS sent ya! Have an awesome, safe and positive day! TBHS VP Rick Schreck

Twitter

7 months ago
This special release of #Witchboard from @nsm_records will be available 12/23/2019! Limited to only 666 sets. Preorders are going like hot cakes! Order yours while you still can! Only sold on Amazon Germany but they ship to the US. #ouija#tbhs